After undergoing surgery, some find they must take a flight not long after. For those who want to fly commercial after surgery, it is important to ensure enough time has passed and that you have regained some mobility, taken steps to prevent blood clots and practice good hygiene throughout the trip.
In many cases, you may simply have to wait. Doctors will insist that patients do not fly for a set amount of time after surgery. And there is nothing you will read here or anywhere else that supersedes the advice given to you directly by your doctor. It is important that you consult with your doctor about how to fly commercial before and after surgery.
That said, there are some tips to keep in mind that can make flying commercial after surgery safer and easier.
Make sure enough time has passed since your surgery. Different procedures have different time windows before it is safe to fly and having someone who is knowledgeable & trained in aviation physiology is critical. Make sure you stay within whatever time parameters they set.
A general guide to how long you should wait after surgery before flying includes the following time frames.
Simple cataract or corneal laser surgery – one day
A Colonoscopy – one day
Simple abdominal surgery – four to five days
Complicated eye surgery – a week
Chest surgery or a coronary artery bypass graft – 10 days
You want to fly commercial after surgery when you have reached a point where you are relatively mobile. That is important because movement can prevent the formation of blood clots. When someone is immobile during a long flight, it prevents the contraction of muscles in the legs that allows blood to circulate back to the heart. When you cannot move, blood pools in the legs and the risk of clotting increases.
Take Aspirin
This is something to do only if told so by your doctor. Taking aspirin can help prevent the formation of blood clots during a flight. It is possible the doctor may prescribe a more powerful anticoagulant, but those should be taken only under a doctor’s orders.
Avoid Turbulence, Nausea
Although it is certainly no guarantee, morning flights tend to have smoother air to fly through than flights later in the day. So, if you can, book an early flight to reduce the odds of nausea-inducing turbulence that you might feel more susceptible to post-operation. Also, a seat on the plane over or near the wing can be smoother – you give up a view for less turbulence.
A lot of people have wondered if flying commercial will ever be the same after the coronavirus. The ideas that everyone has adopted during the COVID-19 epidemic – washing hands, using hand sanitizers on the plane, taking on disinfectant wipes to clear often-touched places in the seat area – are good habits for those who choose to fly commercial after surgery. Post-surgery fliers may be more susceptible to infections, so it is important to practice these good habits.
Keep these tips in mind but remember that your doctor is the final authority on when you can fly commercial before and after surgery. The last thing you want to do is become ill again or risk an infection so soon after getting a surgery to correct a health issue.
Given time, people will return to flying commercial, although travelers should expect to follow new rules that will keep them safe while flying. As experts learn more about COVID 19, they continue to develop ways to travel after coronavirus, including following CDC guidelines and maintaining smart practices while in the airport and on the plane.
Medical air travel is essential but can cause families to second guess their need to schedule non-emergency medical transportation during national emergencies. If you or a loved one have preexisting conditions and family doesn’t live close, it’s a good idea to discuss medical air travel with Flying Angels. Understanding your air ambulance alternatives can save you time and money during an already hectic time.
It’s likely that travel after coronavirus will change, but those changes are for the good. Expect official agencies to release guidelines for flying commercial as more people resume air travel in the coming months.
Before Your Flight and At the Airport
Until official guidance comes from government agencies, you can expect some of the following recommendations to help you avoid the spread of infectious viruses, including coronavirus and the flu.
Bring hand sanitizer. Have a bottle of hand sanitizer and use it after you touch anything during the duration of your trip. That includes before you get to the airport, such as touching surfaces in an Uber ride.
Check in for flight online. Use your smartphone to check into your flight. This way, you do not have to touch the screen at the airport that prints out your boarding pass. If you do use the machine, use hand sanitizer immediately afterward.
Eat before you go. There are likely to be restrictions, at least for a while, on how many people can eat in restaurants (at airports or anywhere else). Best to eat before you leave and have one less thing to worry about.
Wash your hands. It’s not a bad idea to stop often and wash your hands. As experts have frequently noted, if it feels like “overkill,” you are probably doing about the right amount of prevention.
Keep your distance. As you move through the airport, try to maintain plenty of distance and not crowd other passengers.
For those flying commercial on domestic flights, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers helpful guidelines to follow that apply to being in any public place. Many of them are common sense tips that people around the world have followed to slow spread of the disease. They include:
Clean your hands with warm water and soap, or hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol. This is especially important after you have been in a public place such as a plane. Always avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others. This may not always be necessary, but expect to wear a mask for flights (and other public places) at least in the near-term. It protects yourself and others from spreading the coronavirus.
Wipe down your seat arms and any other areas you expect to touch during the flight as soon as you sit down.
Cover any coughs and sneezes – do them into your elbow if you can. Use hand sanitizer immediately afterward.
Keep in mind that airlines also will continue with safety measures they adopted earlier this year, including wiping down all surfaces touched by passengers with disinfectant after each flight. Also, they continue to perform routine deep cleanings. There is a possibility that they will institute health checks, as well, such as taking the temperature of travelers before they enter a plane.
If you are traveling internationally, make sure to check to see if there are any travel advisories from the federal government. Putting these tips into practice can make flying commercial safe – although expect official recommendations to come out for travel after coronavirus once government leaders again open the country and more people return to flying on a regular basis.
For those who need to fly with medications, going through airport security can seem like an intimidating procedure. It’s important to know what you can and cannot do so that your airport security experience is as pleasant as possible.
That requires information. The below rules apply to anyone with needs to fly with medication or with medical devices. But keep in mind that if you need assistance at the airport because of a disability or condition, call ahead. Airports can arrange specialized service for those who have such conditions, as well as those who need to fly with oxygen or other medical devices.
Liquid Medications
To understand what you can do when you fly with medication, you must know the difference between liquid medications and all other types of medications.
You can carry your medication in pill and solid form in unlimited amounts in your carry-on bag. You can also carry medical accessories such as freezer packs, IV bags, pumps and syringes. To get through the screening process more smoothly, clearly label any of the above items in your carry-on bag.
However, there are rules around carrying medication in liquid form onto the plane.
It’s permissible to carry liquid medication that weighs more than 3.4 ounces and contains a reasonable amount of medication for the flight. However, you must inform the TSA officer you are carrying medically necessary liquids before you start the screening process. They may ask you to open the container and subject it to further screenings.
Make sure to arrive early at the airport the day of your flight to allow for the time needed for security screenings.
According to TSA Cares, you should Inform the officer of your disability or show them your disability notification card at the checkpoint before your screening begins. Let them know if you are carrying any medication that cannot be screened by X-rays.
Like all passengers, you will be screened by advanced imaging technology or by passing through a metal detector. If you cannot go through these detectors, a TSA officer will perform a “pat down” screening. You may also go through this as part of additional screening measures, or to resolve any issues if you or your belongings set off an alarm.
Special Medical Devices
Some people need to fly with oxygen or other medical devices. In some cases, additional screening may prove necessary for some devices.
For example, if you wear a medical device attached to your body, inform the TSA officer before they begin the pat down. If the device can be screened by X-ray and you can safely disconnect it, then it will be run through an X-ray scanner. If that is not the case, TSA agents may use additional screening methods on the device while it is attached to you.
Prosthesis and mastectomy bras are both considered necessary medical devices. You can wear them during the screening process. TSA officers will not ask you to remove them or reveal them.
Other Issues
At any time during the screening process, you can ask to speak to a supervisor if you are uncomfortable. You may also request a private screening.
The TSA also has a number for those with medical conditions and disabilities to call if they have any questions. That number is 1-855-787-2227. Also, these rules apply to checked in bags. But it’s advisable to put medications in carry-on bags, in case you need access to them immediately. Also, while TSA does not require placing medications in prescription bottles, some states have laws on this issue. Check for these laws in the states where you will travel.
We all want to avoid layovers, which are typically uncomfortable and annoying experiences. But not at those with the best airport attractions. For reasons explained below, some of the best airports for layovers provide a good experience, including airports in Tampa, Munich, Amsterdam, Atlanta, Vancouver, Dubai, Las Vegas and across Florida.
In some cases, these
airports just provide well thought-out and pleasant amenities. In others, you
can gamble, look at art and even see a jellyfish.
So, if you book a trip
that requires a layover, don’t fret. Just try to make it in one of the airports
listed below.
Tampa International
Airport
Tampa International Airport ranks in the top tier of best airports for layovers because of its design, amenities and overall cleanliness and order. One of the busiest airports for business people and tourists from around the world, TIA has a convenient spoke-and-wheel design for its terminals, 24-hour food choices, free WiFi and the option of pay-for-use lounges. Friendly staff, too.
Germans are known for
creating orderly and clean transportation, and the Munich International Airport
provides a stellar example of that approach. A major hub for people flying into
Europe, the airport provides nap cabins, free tea and coffee stalls, and a
Bavarian brewery. It even has a mini golf course and an ice rink.
Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport in Atlanta ranks as the busiest airport in the world. If
you have time to kill waiting for your next flight, you can get great exercise
by walking the miles of tunnels that connect all the terminals. The airport
also has more than 200 restaurants and retailers and live music in the food
court.
Vancouver
International Airport
If you have a layover in Vancouver International Airport, then you must check out the permanent exhibit run by the Vancouver Aquarium in the international terminal. This 114,000-liter aquarium has more than 5,000 animals, including wolf eels, Red Irish Lord fish, giant plumose anemone, and an armored sea cucumber. It’s easy to see how this one ranks among the best airports for layovers – what other airport has an armored sea cucumber?
Dubai International
Airport
Dubai International
Airport in the United Arab Emirates is one of the best airports for a layover
for the same reason so much in the UAE makes other “best of” lists: A lot of
money has been spent building it. This airport has an in-airport hotel health
spa, fantastic jewelry stores and beautiful design. If you have time to leave
the airport, there are dune buggy and camel rides not far away.
Amsterdam Airport
Schiphol
There is truly no other
airport like Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. This airport is the only one in the
world that has an art museum attached. The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol
features paintings from Van Gogh and other masters. If art isn’t your thing,
you can also go to the Holland Casino between gates E and F in departure Hall
2. Talk about your extremes in entertainment options!
Las Vegas
Speaking of gambling, you can certainly do that in Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. The Las Vegas airport made a recent list of U.S. airports with the highest level of customer satisfaction, making it among the best airports for layovers.
Florida, another place with many tourists and visitors, also placed many airports on the list, including Orlando International Airport, Jacksonville International Airport, Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fla., and Palm Beach International Airport.
Other U.S. airports on the list included:
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport/World
Portland (Ore.) International Airport
Dallas Love Field
Indianapolis International Airport
These best airports for layovers can turn a long trip into something that is at least pleasant and sometimes memorable. Keep them in mind when you need to book a trip and it requires more than one flight and a long layover.
It may seem overly dramatic to equate the trauma of a soldier at war with that of a citizen at home. But the collapse of a marriage or the death of a spouse may shake certain personalities down to their core. The shattering life events of civilian life may be as traumatic as killing a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan or having a leg blown off by a land mine in Iraq.
Soldiers Returning Home
Soldiers who return from the traumas of war may deal with them successfully and proceed to take up a more “ordinary” life. They may start families, go to work, get educational certificates, complete graduate school. But other returning soldiers may not adjust so successfully. They may sleep with a gun beneath their pillow, have difficulty keeping a job, and abuse their spouses and children.
According to the common view, soldiers who move easily from war to citizenship pass the test of strength and bravery. They deserved the flag-waving ride from the airport their hometown gave them. But soldiers who fail to adapt are presumed weak, cowardly, and a burden on the Veterans Affairs budget: “babies in need of a binky” as one military bulletin board put it.
Understanding PTSD
Judgments like these are too simple. Soldiers who adapt may of course stay that way. But if their post-war stress is severe and they deny the extent of it, we might find them years later shooting up their employers’ company and their co-workers with it. After well over a decade of wars without victory, we are at last learning not just to identify PTSD and find ways to treat it, but to understand how widely it has spread among the formerly military or non-military population. Our lives now have so many pressures, some of them traumatic, that it is impossible to tell if or when some who suffer from them will reach the end of their tether.
Sources of Stress
Think of the absurd fistfights between parents, or parents and referees, during their children’s baseball or soccer games. In the minds of these parents the game becomes like society itself. The only point of the game is to win it, however drastic the behavior necessary to make that happen.
A host of understandable sources of stress is behind such loss of perspective. Will my child or children succeed? What about the cost of sending them to college? Will they ever find jobs lucrative enough to pay off their student loans and start their own families? Will my own company keep me on or let me go? Can I ever save enough for retirement? And will my child (or children) be able to stand up to the stress of succeeding without recourse to addictive drinking, drugs or sex, not to mention suicide.
What then is PTSD? The trauma itself may not consist of just one event. The stresses of modern civilians, like those of modern soldiers, are so many and varied that they can easily add up to trauma. But however multiple they are, they probably have one powerful feeling in common. When I was about nine, I got beat up for no obvious reason by four neighborhood hooligans. When I came home miserable and dirtied up and found my father in the living room, I was looking for what I was sure would be sympathy. Instead he told me I should have bravely taken on those kids, outnumbered though I was, and beaten THEM up.
Those words left me with a truly awful feeling. If I had to grow up in a world like the one my father apparently lived in, I was bound to fail in it. The feeling was traumatic in that this living room scene comes back to me whenever I am in danger of suffering any kind of major setback. By never mentioning that feeling to anyone I kept it knotted up inside me for years. Trauma has the power not just to make us think and act irrationally, but to destroy us. If we never find someone sympathetic enough to talk to about it, the feeling it provokes may lurk inside us like a bomb forever on the verge of blowing up.
This blog article was written by Flying Angels Corporate Ethicist Ronald Wendling. In addition to his posts here, his thoughts can be found on his own blog page Keeping up with Ron.
Patients use medical transportation in both emergency and non-emergency situations. Medical transportation options include non-emergency services such as wheelchairs, medical couriers, ambulatory services, travel arrangements and flight nurses. Emergency services include basic life support ambulances, advanced life support ambulances and air ambulances.
The following provides an overview of some of the common medical transportation options used by patients.
Benefits of Medical
Transportation
Every medical transportation option has benefits because they all effectively and efficiently get patients to their destination. En route, experienced medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, provide medical services as needed.
In non-emergency medical
transportation (NEMT), the ability to schedule everything ahead of time and
travel with a flight nurse provides enormous benefits to patients. Rather than
take on the challenges of travel alone, they have the peace of mind of having
trained medical experts with them.
Types of Medical
Transportation
The following offers a list of medical transportation options for patients. All choices fit into two major categories: emergency transportation and NEMT.
Non-Emergency
Medical Transportation
NEMT is the best medical transportation option for those with a medical condition or injury that does not pose an immediate threat. Typically, older patients, those with disabilities or those who have difficulty with mobility from an injury use NEMT. Professional NEMT service companies such as Flying Angels can make all travel arrangements and assign a flight nurse to travel with patients. The company offers the service for domestic and international flights.
The specific types of
transportation used in NEMT include the following.
Wheelchair
A very common form of transportation in non-emergency situations. Patients use wheelchairs if they have difficulty walking for long distances through the airport and from ground transportation into the airport. Special, narrow wheelchairs are used on planes. Flight nurses ensure that plane personnel safety store personal wheelchairs during flight.
This is typically a car
or van that takes patients to and from the airport. It’s one of the commonly
used forms of NEMT transport. It’s designed for those who can walk with little
to no assistance.
Flight Nurses
Flight nurses are a key
element in NEMT. They travel with patients to their destination. They have
years of experience and a high level of expertise in providing any medical
services needed during a flight. They oversee a patient’s medications and
monitor their health. Upon arrival, they arrange any ground transportation
needed to get a patient to their destination.
Medical couriers safely transport blood, organs and other human biological specimens between hospitals or research facilities. All medical couriers must meet government regulations, including provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Stretcher
Used only in
circumstances where a patient has an injury that prevents them from standing or
walking but is not an emergency situation. This option is limited to
international flights on a few selected airlines.
Emergency Medical
Transportation Options
Just as the name implies, emergency medical transportation options are used when patients are in a medical crisis and need transportation to a hospital as quickly as possible. The emphasis in all these areas is finding a balance between safety and speed.
Ambulances are typically in one of two
categories: basic life support and advanced life support.
Basic Life Support
Ambulances
A basic life support ambulance offers medical
service from emergency medical technicians during transportation to a hospital,
rehabilitation clinic or testing facility. Medical supplies and equipment on a
basic life support ambulance include defibrillators, aspirin, EpiPens,
pulse oximetry, intranasal naloxone administration, splints, bandages, oxygen
tanks and masks, and spinal immobilization equipment.
Advanced Life
Support Ambulances
Advanced life support ambulances have equipment
that monitors vital signs, as well as advanced drug therapy, cardiac
monitoring, oxygen and IV therapy. All services are administered by a highly
skilled paramedic or nurse.
Air Ambulances
Air ambulances include helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Typically, a helicopter transports those in immediate need of clinical treatment, including victims of car accidents, violent crime or natural disasters when time is the absolute imperative. Fixed wing air ambulance is utilized over greater distances with acutely ill patients who patient who cannot tolerate sitting. The situation dictates the type of transportation used. Decisions on emergency transportation are made by medical personnel, while patients decide on non-emergency transport. For NEMT, a service like Flying Angels offers all the advantages and benefits you need and choices for how you want your transportation planned.
